what would you do in my shoes?

Question

my daughter is bipolar and 6 years old last week she tried to stab her teacher and her doctor and her school are telling me they want to put her in a hospital for 4 weeks for med control and mri's and so forth. what would you do

Answer 1

Hello .......... It sounds like you have your hands full, and it may be time to let the experts take charge for awhile. Left alone these problems will do nothing but get worse. As a parent of a child with bipolar, I know that it is difficult to accept that there really may be nothing you can do, and that even loving your child until it hurts isn't enough to keep her from being ill. At first, all I could do was cry,[ and yell] Neither of these actions did my daughter any good, of course. I say accept the advice that you have been given, without hesitation. Your daughter may tell you that she will never forgive you, scream that she hates you, and beg you to not leave her. She is only six and may not be able to express herself in exactly those terms but she will be angry. This hurts to beat heck but you must stand your ground. They may even recommend that you not visit her at least for the first few days while she is in hospital. This was the most difficult part for me, I had been the only constant that my daughter had and it seemed downright cruel to abandon her, but it is so important to let the doctors do their job, without interference. The time apart will make your first meeting all the better. It was so painful for me to see my girl looking so lost, but the time apart did give me a chance to get some much needed rest and to get myself informed on my daughter's illness. I was as lost as she was, and I knew that the only weapon I had to fight this thing was information.
What will happen if you do not accept the help is much worse. The powers that be actually have the right to take your child from you because any lack of cooperation will be seen as nothing less than neglect. An order of commitment will be issued and your rights to be a part of the process taken from you. This happened to me. I begged them not to take her, I was her mother , I know what's best!!!! Of course now I see clearly the error of my ways. That first time was the most painful experience of my life! She was in good hands, though. When she finally got home, I had my daughter back! They had figured out a med schedule which worked and Joanna was better than ever. We are now 7 years later and things are going very well for both of us. The best part of it all is that Joanna remembers very little of her experiences at the institute, and we now can laugh about it. She has been hospitaized several times, but now she comes to me when she thinks she may be relapsing,and we are as close as two people can be. She has thanked me for my support and love, a far cry from the first "I hate you mother" that she said. Good luck to you. I hope that my words have helped you.

Answer 2

I have bipolar and the medications are definitely key. With any procedure they decide she should have please do all the research beforehand to make a careful decsion. It sounds like she is reaching some extremes pretty early on. She defintely should get the tests and maybe some time in the hospital to just get her meds stabilized. Also research all the medications. If you dont like her doctors you can always choose another. Try to find the one that meshes with your daughter the best. Hope this has helped some. Good luck.

Answer 3

I have a nephew who was diagnosed at the same age. He also was dangerous to family members.

He was put in a hospital off and on for about 18 months and now he's much better.

He's 13 now and he still has minor episodes he has a much better life then he did.

His Mom didn't want to do it either but now she's glad she did.

Make sure you let the hospital know that you care and are involved with his care....the more hands on you are the better treatment your son will receive.....good luck

Answer 4

I would read as much as i could from the web about bipolar problems in children and how it is treated, and see if this approach makes sense to you. Addiitonally, ff your child has problems of this magnitude at 6, something definitely needs to be done sooner than later. I wouldn't look at hospitalizing your child as a bad thing - i would look at it as an opportunity for your child to have a normal life.

Answer 5

I think you have a responsibility as a parent to decide the balance for yourself. On one hand you don't want to prevent the help that will improve her life but on the other hand you don't want to ruin the life of a 6 year-old. I don't know the background, but here's my personal thoughts: I think early on is the best time for them to realise how to deal with her condition. I'd let them do the tests and so forth, but make sure someone's there to support her every step of the way. Also, I'd think harder if they tell you they want to keep her in for longer. Find the balance and good luck.

Answer 6

If I were in your shoes, I would do as the professionals recommend. This disease is not her fault. Would you have her treated if she broke her arm? If she had a heart problem? Of course you would! She has a chemical imbalance. Please get the help she needs, or, dear one, you and she will suffer even more as she grows up. Give her a chance at a normal life. I'm talking from experience here...bi-polar behavior can be heartbreaking for families and make you feel extremely helpless. Don't feel guilty by giving her the help she needs. Godloveyou.

Answer 7

i would let her go the hospital will have trained professional who will observe her, and report her symptoms so she can be properly treated. the hospital also has other professionals at hand to help with the treatment of your daughter. i hope that bi polar is the correct diagnosis. spend as much time with her as allowed in the hospital setting. you dint want her to feel abandoned. do not let her think she is going to hospital because she was bad, but because she needs some extra help. i know it is hard but in the long run, it is best for her, and best for you. good luck with your daughter. hope this helps you

Answer 8

that is a hard thing to go through-- first of all i would get her on medication if her doctor prescribes it to her-- i would also get her checked out and if they say she needs to go for 4 weeks - let her go-- whats the harm?? i mean it would make u feel sad but it may help in the long run and help avoid problems in the future! goodluck with your situation!